The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-10

records. The idea of writing to others in the
same service for the address of the one desired
presented itself and was acted upon with the
most remarkable success. fully 80 per cent OF
the addresses of this kind asked for being found
In that manner. Sometimes the office, where
the Information is meager, will work as long "a
two years in looking up an address, although
cases of this kind rarely happen. One which
taxes three months to find is looked upon
as very hard one. A showing the neces-
sity of this testimony is tina. of widow whose
son had been killed on board one of the vessels
In Burnside's campaign. She wrote to the bu-
reau for the address of the colonel of Nav
York regiment who had witnessed the affair,
and whose testimony was needed before pen
sion could be obtained His address had been
sought evsrywhere but without success. Major
BUTTS took hold OF the matter. found the colonel
living in New York. and upon his evidence the
widow received pension. This case had been
pending nineteen years.
Another illustration is that OF a soldier, who
for number Of years tried to find the address
OF an officer under whom he was at work while
injured he at last wrote to the Office The
only information he could give was that the
name OF the officer was Anderson, and he had
charge of squad of men engaged in filing a
bog at Andersonville prison, and that he be-
longed to the Army of she Potomac and was pa
rolled at Annapolis The officer found eight men
of that name who had been at Andersonville.
and wrote to each of them Seven wrote back
that no such work was performed there. The
eighth, living in San Jose CAL, wrote that he
rendered the circumstance well. and had
charge of the SQUAD stated. and this proved
no difficulty in obtaining.
The following figures will show the impor-
lance of the record to claimants During the
year 1856 the addresses were furnished for 144, :
go names. OF this number q, 701 were names
especially designated Claims to the amount of
% 802 were assisted by information furnished.
By this means the work of special examination
in the field has been expedited at least 80 per
cent and that of various other divisions in the
same proportion. While the bureau is helping
claimants to obtain pensions it is not forgetting
Uncla Sans interests and is keeping him from
being imposed upon by the unworthy. It is
estimated that enough money has been saved
the government by these records TO more than
pay the entire expenses of the Office since it was
established.
The office is now compiling a list of surgeons
of the United States army, the volunteer and
contract surgeons who were in charge of and on
duty IN the general and post hospitals during
the war. This record will be Invaluable when
completed In cases where the claimant can
give the name Of the hospital and the date, he
be furnished with information which will
in all probability lead to the discovery of the
surgeon be whom he was treated together with
his postoffice address AS the evidence of the
surgeon attending the patient is sometimes alb
solutely necessary, this feature will be another
great aid to the claimant. Some time ago
an applicant for pension, who knew nothing
further about the hospital In which he was
treated than iE situated on the lawn in front
of a private residence in the northern part OF
Georgia, and the date. wrote to the Office en-
deavoring to obtain something more definite re-
garding the same. With this scanty knowledge
the bureau. by looking over its files, found the
name of the hospital, the surgeons In attend
ance, and enabled the soldier. by corresponding
with them, to obtain the testimony he desired
Another feature of the Office is the record OF
the Union ex prisoners of war which is now be-
ing made. This, however, has been tedious
work, but the names are now coming in quite
rapidly and the Office expects to be able in
short time to complete it. In a bill presented
Congress to pension all ex-prisoners of war it
estimated that there were $4,000 living.
The Pension Office people think that GO, 900
would be q safe but small estimate. The number
of prisoners supposed to be living in 1882.
cording to the list then prepared. was 98, 600.
It would be unreasonable to suppose that only
about % per cent of that number would be liv-
ing after lapse of only five years.